Black-Box Experiments: Making Acquaintances with the Machinery
- The black-box is a metaphor used to describe the manner through which technology is perceived, or rather used and dealt with nowadays—passive acceptance rather than active relationship with its functioning. This paper delves into this specific feature of the relationship between humans and electronics through the lens of the philosophy of technology. In the critical examination of the apparent dualism between a product’s surface and its underlying machinery, an uncomfortable question arises: As users of electronic products, do we only genuinely own their outer shell but not their technological interiors? This assumption sparked a series of experiments to explore how products can be designed from the inside-out and to establish a deliberate relationship with the machinery instead. As a result, four radio receivers (representatives for many more electronic devices) each illustrate a different interpretation of access to technology by means of design.
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| Author: | Pia-Marie Stute |
|---|---|
| URN: | urn:nbn:de:hbz:832-cos4-13150 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.57684/COS-1315 |
| Series (Serial Number): | rrrreflect. Journal of Integrated Design Research (Volume 2,1) |
| Editor: | Lasse Scherffig, Carolin Höfler |
| Document Type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Release Date: | 2025/11/26 |
| Tag: | Human-Machine Relationship; Product Sesign; Technology |
| GND Keyword: | Interaktion; Technologie; Industriedesign; Black Box |
| Volume: | Volume 2 (2025) |
| Article Number: | 1 |
| Page Number: | 12 |
| Institutes and Central Facilities: | Fakultät für Kulturwissenschaften (F02) / Fakultät 02 / Köln International School of Design |
| Dewey Decimal Classification: | 700 Künste und Unterhaltung / 740 Grafik, angewandte Kunst |
| Open Access: | Open Access |
| Licence (German): |  Creative Commons - CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |
